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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781468595932 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 12/17/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 288 |
| File size: | 460 KB |
Read an Excerpt
decisions decisions decisions
By G. Claude Wright
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 G. Claude WrightAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-7965-9
Chapter One
Sensible Decisions Making
There are countless approaches to making decisions. The ways that you will encounter in this section chronicle courses of action that typically lead to problems.
These concepts will help you avoid decisions that are unlikely to result in good outcomes. Being the product of faulty reasoning, careless indifference, or simple misunderstandings, they hold little potential for serving as worthy guides to properly dealing with life's challenges.
It is the misleading subtleties contained within these kinds of decisions that are typically responsible for distracting your attention away from the heart of the issue and thus render sensible conclusions unlikely.
While far from exhaustive, I believe that that the advice to be gained from these eleven principles will protect you from making some of the bad decisions you might otherwise make.
These principles are as follows: Relinquished Decisions, Everybody Loves A Yes-Man, Is Celebrity Endorsement Reliable Advice?, Ready-Made Wisdom, Only A Fool Answers Dares, Check Your Focus, Assumptions Can Be Dangerous, Don't Bet Heavily On The Untried, Tempted To Take A Break, Not Deciding Is To Decide, and Buy Time.
If you are guilty of making decisions after the manner described in these principles, you will find that these concepts contribute to your heightened awareness – an awareness of what not to do – as well as an understanding that there's a price to be paid if you do.
Relinquished Decisions
How often have you done something like this when the stakes were much higher?
This decision-making principle is well illustrated by a story that occurred when I was twelve years old. I ignored every concept contained within this principle but, given my age at the time, my foolishness might be somewhat understandable. Such forgiveness, however, should not extend to a mature adult for whom the consequences of irresponsible decision-making often result in big losses and/or big problems.
At the urging of an older "friend" (he was fifteen), I accompanied him on a trip to the hobby store. Once inside, he decided that I should buy a model airplane. The same "friend" then decided that he would build it for me. I now realize that one of only three reasons for buying a model plane is to enjoy the act of building it yourself. The other two reasons would be to fly it and/or hang it in your bedroom. Being young naïve, and lacking the necessary courage to confront him, I gave him the model so he could build it for me – the final insult was the fee he charged me for building it! In any case, joy number one was now gone.
But there's more to the story. There was a public park not far from my home. Once my "friend" completed the model, he decided that we should take the model plane up to the top of a ten-meter diving tower situated out in a lake that was within the park and fly it off. That sounded like fun until I began to worry that my little plane might not remain airborne long enough to reach the shore.
Given what I was about to learn about his plan for my plane, making it to shore was not something I needed to have been concerned about. After reaching the top of the diving tower, he reached into his pocket and brought out some matches and proceeded to light the tail on fire! His bright idea (decision) was to watch the burning plane spiral down into the water. I was demoralized to realize this was to be its first and last flight.
Gone now were reasons number two and three for buying a model plane. But it was too late (as the tail of my plane was in flames) to now concern myself with either of those purchase motivations. I watched as my "investment" hit the water – a charred mess, floating lifelessly on the lake below. I was crushed. I had allowed him to decide that I should buy a model airplane. I let him decide that he should build it. I allowed him to decide to fly the plane off the diving tower, and I allowed him to light the tail on fire. I had offered no resistance to any of his decisions.
Sensing my displeasure, he asked me if that wasn't what I wanted to do. How cleverly he reinterpreted decisions that he, not I, had made. When I told him "no" that wasn't what I wanted to do, all he could say was, "Sorry"! He didn't offer to buy me a new model let alone include the building of it as a gesture of apology. His "I'm sorry" did nothing to make me feel better.
The lesson to be derived from "Relinquished Decisions" focuses on the habit of allowing someone else to make your decisions for you so that you will have someone to blame, beside yourself, should things not turn out as planned.
I had foolishly dodged any responsibility for the decisions that were made regarding my model airplane. Fortunately, all that lesson cost me was the price of a model airplane, my "friend's" fee for building it, and a crushed spirit.
We are living in a time marked by widespread irresponsibility – an age where blaming others for our problems is the norm. For many, it's always someone else's fault.
In the business arena, many people have made investments because of the recommendations of another – often a friend or neighbor not qualified to give such advice. But, the advisor did have one qualification: He was someone they could blame if the investment went sour! But then, what other possible good is an advisor whose advice turns sour and costs you money? Maybe you hope he'll give your money back? Well, you can forget that. Refunding your loss won't ever enter his mind! At best, you'll just get his, "I'm sorry." More likely, he won't return your phone calls.
* * *
When needing advice, seek sound advice. Don't be tempted to transfer the responsibility for the decision to the advisor for a decision you can't, or won't make just so you'll have someone to blame should things go wrong. Assume responsibility for making your own decisions. Never relinquish your decision-making rights.
Everybody Loves A "Yes" Man
When you get the "word" from someone like this, why would you bother seeking a second affirmation?
My teen years were spent in a small but comfortable house in a nice part of town. Across the street from our house, however, was a luxury enclave known as the Polo Grounds. As one of the ritziest residential areas in town, it was totally enclosed by walls and fences. There was some vacant ground, but most of it consisted of many large and magnificent estates. One of the three entrances into that enclave was only one block up the street from my house.
Just inside that entrance was a vacant lot that was yet to be developed. It occupied a couple of acres, and like all vacant lots, it was full of weeds. But it had two trees that happened to be about one hundred yards apart – perfect targets for a little two-hole golf course. Because I attended the same school as one of the kids who lived in there, I didn't feel at all uncomfortable going over to hit a few golf balls whenever time permitted.
One day, a guy who introduced himself as Randy came walking by the tree (my first tee) on his way home. Since I was only fifteen at the time, I'd never met Randy who was five or six years older than I was.
Because the golf community is a rather friendly bunch, and since my dad was the state champion, he knew a lot of people, among them, Randy's parents.
It turned out that Randy lived in the mansion next to the vacant lot that had become my golf course. He asked me how I was doing, and we talked for awhile. Randy, who also enjoyed golf, wondered how I liked fighting the weeds that were so prevalent on "my" golf course. When I replied that I was doing OK, he said that I was welcome to come over to his house and set up my course on the enormous lawn which surrounded his parent's estate. I couldn't believe his offer. What a super nice guy!
His house and yard were magnificent In fact, I was to later learn that Randy's parents were the owners of the Carey Salt Co.! No wonder they could afford such a palace. I was now being invited to make this into my own playground. Just what I wanted to hear!
I quickly scouted out the terrain and figured there would still only be two golf holes. The first would start at the entry gate to their property with the first tee being just a few feet from the driveway (right next to a beautiful flower bed). I'd be hitting toward their house to a tree that was about twenty yards to the right of their garage. The second hole's tee was next to that tree with the green being another tree that was growing very near their entryway.
Prior to moving to this new venue, I had been working on my swing, but I found it a little tough because of the uneven ground and the weeds. Thanks to Randy, I didn't have those problems anymore. I knew this opportunity would prove to be a big advancement in my plans to improve my game. I worked on all the swing mechanics that I had read about. For example, all the pros took divots with their iron shots. So I decided that's what I needed to do. In fact, because I had selected such small areas for my tees, I had to move my hitting area around every once in a while to find fresh grass that hadn't been dug up by my nine iron.
Because this was such great fun, I came often and occasionally at odd times, like Sunday mornings. I remember one Sunday morning when I arrived early. I'm sure that it was because I hadn't warmed up yet, but my opening shot off the first tee was a high looping hook that hit their garage door with a surprisingly loud bang. I wasn't sure whether or not I should play out the hole. In fact, I wasn't sure if I should even hang around. Better yet, I decided to give my game a rest for a few days.
The next time I showed up, I was about to hit off the first tee when Mr. and Mrs. Carey drove up. Mr. Carey stopped the car and rolled the window down and asked, "Would you mind discontinuing play for a few weeks to give us a chance to reseed?" Even though I was young and shamefully insensitive to what I had been doing, I caught that message! I was so embarrassed! I felt so little I'll bet I could have crawled into a golf hole. After that, I never again hit another golf ball on the Carey's front lawn.
In retrospect, the thought of using the manicured grounds of the Carey's estate as my own playground should have been something I would never have considered doing. It certainly embarrasses me to recall it now. But, I kept excusing myself. After all, Randy had said that it was alright. Deep down, I wouldn't have wanted to ask Mr. Carey if he minded if I dug up his lawn. I knew what his answer would have been. Understandably, it was a question I never asked. I already had the answer I sought.. But then, I was just a kid – some continue to favor this "selective" reasoning as an adult.
"Everybody Loves A 'Yes' Man" urges you to consider the valueless nature of advice that comes from someone who's programmed to tell you only what they think you want to hear. History is full of stories about kings and monarchs who surrounded themselves with "yes men" whose role was to always agree with the king, telling him what he wanted to hear. It was job security for the "yes men", but inept and regrettable governance for the people being ruled by a leader who only listened to what made him feel good.
Corporate executives also have been known to do the same thing. As soothing as yes men can sometimes be, the nature of their one-sided advice can have disastrous consequences. The important question that you need to ask yourself is, "Are you willing to risk failure because you insist upon confining your counsel to those who agree with you and will only tell you what you want to hear?"
* * *
Success will prove illusive when your advice comes only from yes men. Make a habit of taking advice from this kind of advisor and failure may be just a short step away.
Usually the best advice you will ever receive comes from the person who's willing to risk your displeasure by telling you the truth. This is the kind of individual who's not afraid to challenge your plans or ideas. If those plans and ideas can pass mustard with this type of critic, they're probably sound.
Is Celebrity Endorsement Reliable Advice?
Celebrities, and those who pay them to endorse their products, may be pulling the wool over your eyes.
People love celebrities. They want to know all about them, get their autographs, and vicariously identify with their fame and success. It is amazing to observe the influence these famous people can have on us. It's not surprising that celebrities have been used to endorse products since the pre-television days of radio broadcasting. The age of television merely served to broaden the use of celebrity endorsements. Decades ago, celebrity endorsements were presented as a testimony to that celebrity's personal use of the product being promoted. More recently, celebrities are often used to endorse products with which they may have little familiarity and probably no expert knowledge.
Please excuse the use of these rather antiquated personalities for my illustrations, but the perfect example from those old days was provided by Mickey Mantle, the famous New York Yankee baseball player of the 1950s and 60s. He endorsed Gillette razors because he was a celebrity, not because he was an expert on shaving. He had no greater qualifications to be granted "expert status" on razors than any other man. When deciding to buy a razor, we needed to remind ourselves that Mickey's claim to fame was baseball, not shaving!
The same could be said for the dry cleaning chain owned by Arnold Palmer. He quite naturally endorsed its services. As rich and successful as Arnie is, one has to wonder how much he worries about his laundry. With all the clothes he endorses, he may not have any dirty clothes that need laundering because it's possible he never wears the same outfit twice!
Consider those really big name celebrity athletes who have been paid to sing the praises of some mid-priced American-made car. You sometimes wonder whether these people ever park their sporty, foreign-made, luxury machines long enough to give themselves a little more time behind the wheel of one of those cars they endorse. It may even be fair to say they may spend no more time driving one of their endorsed products than it took to film the ad.
This is not to say that a given product is unworthy of consideration just because a famous person recommends it, but these examples do explain why it's unwise to base your decision just upon a celebrity's endorsement of a product. Logically, it should be the inherent merits of the product that determine the choice you make. The example of celebrity endorsements was chosen because it so clearly illustrates the lack of a logical connection between the celebrity's knowledge about that which made him famous as opposed to something about which he probably knows little, if any more than the average person.
The point being: we often allow an unqualified advisor to give us advice. At one time or another, most of us have succumbed to the counsel of someone not qualified to give advice, and despite their lack of adequate credentials, we accept their advice. This happens because many people seem to have opinions about many things; such a non-expert won't usually refrain from expressing his opinion. To the extent you are influenced by their unsolicited advice, you may learn (the hard way) that most of this type of advice, from this kind of adviser, is often devoid of any real value. Such an advisor will often have no more knowledge about the subject (if even as much) as the one they're advising.
* * *
Decide you'll accept advice only from those qualified to give it. Who would have argued with those who sought Mickey Mantle's suggestions about buying a baseball glove? But, don't bother to call on a Mickey for his counsel on shaving.
When making important decisions, seek the guidance of the most qualified expert you can find. For less important matters, decide to surround yourself with wise friends and associates who can be counted on to look over your shoulder when you're in need of a second opinion.
Ready-Made Wisdom
At first, it may seem unbelievable to you that anyone would choose this approach to reach a decision. But, after reading this principle, you may realize that you have done so yourself!
This principle addresses those decisions that may require the exposure of some personal problem or embarrassing revelation to your family, friends, neighbors, or close advisors. Just the thought of having to bare your soul to any of these people can prompt you to wish to remove yourself from having to involve anyone else in your decision.
In order to avoid revealing your private affairs, you may be tempted to resort to "impersonal" advice – such as the insights that might be gained from a famous quotation or cliché. It might seem that all you have to do is pick one that seems to be applicable to your situation and you have spared yourself the anguish of unpleasant disclosures.
There is nothing inherently wrong in studying the recorded thoughts of some renowned intellect. These little bits of "wisdom" or humorous sayings can often enrich your speech and provide clarification to ideas you're trying to communicate.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from decisions decisions decisions by G. Claude Wright Copyright © 2012 by G. Claude Wright. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
I. SENSIBLE DECISIONS MAKING....................1Relinquished Decisions....................2
Everybody Loves A "Yes" Man....................4
Is Celebrity Endorsement Reliable Advice?....................7
Ready-Made Wisdom....................9
Only Fools Accept Dares....................11
Check Your Focus....................13
Assumptions Can Be Dangerous....................16
Don't Bet Heavily On The Untried....................20
Tempted To Take A Break?....................22
Not Deciding Is To Decide....................25
Buy Time!....................27
II. INSIGHTFUL DECISION MAKING....................29
Seek A Small Victory....................30
Reassess Your Resources....................33
Backward Steps Can Produce Progress....................36
Filter Your Decisions....................39
Decisions Don't Exist In Isolation....................42
An Unusual Crystal Ball....................45
Jump The Fence....................48
III. ELIMINATING WASTE....................51
First Things First....................52
Misplaced Items Waste Time, Cost Money....................55
A Costly Memory Lapse....................58
IV. EXAMINE YOUR SHORTCOMINGS....................61
Do You Twist The Truth?....................62
Control Your Anger....................66
Unbridled Greed....................70
Seeking The Easy Way Out....................73
Procrastination Causes Problems....................76
Repeating The Same Mistake....................79
Do You Bore People?....................82
I'm Bulletproof....................84
V. PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT....................89
Become A Positive Person....................90
Invest In Others....................93
Traits Of The Successful And Great....................96
Guard Your Mind....................99
Do The Right Thing....................101
Protect Your Reputation....................103
VI. DEALING WITH PEOPLE....................107
It May Be Legal, But Is It Right?....................108
Protect Your Own Interests....................110
There Are Givers And Takers....................113
Investigate Any Potential Associate....................118
Guard Against The Inside Job....................120
Beware The Charmer....................123
Is He Really Your Friend?....................126
He's Your Competitor Don't Forget It....................129
Identify The Dominator....................131
Don't Burn Bridges....................133
Trade Viewpoints....................135
VII. SUCCESS AND GOAL SEEKING....................137
Make Setting Goals A Habit....................139
To Get There, You Must Begin....................144
Goals You Shouldn't Pursue....................147
How Much Pressure Can You Stand?....................149
Is Your Commitment Strong Enough?....................153
When in a Battle, Fight to Win....................156
Expand Your Options....................161
Focus On Your 'A' Skills....................164
Passion Separates The Best From The Rest....................167
Stepping Outside The Box....................176
You Will Pay A Price To Be The Best....................180
VIII. BUSINESS AND INVESTMENTS....................185
There Ain't No Free Lunch....................186
Getting In Is Often Easy But....................189
Is It Too Good To Be True?....................193
How Much Do You Deserve To Make?....................196
Unrealistic Expectations....................200
Understand The Nature Of Opportunities....................203
People Value Things Differently....................208
Partnerships?....................211
Value Your "Trump Cards"....................214
The First Rule Of Risk Taking....................218
Overlooked Wisdom....................220
Know When To Hang In There....................223
Know When To Retreat....................228
The "End Game" Strategy....................232
IX. ATTITUDES AND HABITS....................239
How Do You Know It's Bad?....................241
Surprises In The Ashes....................244
The Threat Of The Crowd....................247
Take A Stand For The Truth....................250
Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously....................253
Feeling Sorry For Yourself?....................256
Are You Spread Too Thin?....................258
Value Special Moments....................261
Surround Yourself With Beauty....................264
What Kind Of Legacy Will You Leave?....................267
EPILOGUE....................271